Powerhouse Regional Youth Conference, Feb. 6-8 - Canceled

Leadership Team in-person retreat, Starved Rock Lodge, Oglesby, Ill., Feb. 8, 2-5 p.m.

District clergy gathering, Bishop Lane Retreat Center, Rockford, April 27-28

2026 Illinois/Wisconsin District conference, Nov. 6-7, Polo (Ill.) Church of the Brethren

[all meetings via Zoom unless otherwise noted]

January Newsletter

Plans for the very first NOAC Book Study are coming together. National Older Adult Conference (NOAC) coordinator Christy Waltersdorff and recently retired pastor Dennis Webb will lead the study on Zoom. The group will begin with a book by Dominique Gilliard, who was a keynote speaker at the 2025 NOAC, titled Subversive Witness.

The leaders recommend ordering the book from Brethren Press at https://www.brethrenpress.com/product_p/9780310124030.htm or by calling customer service at 800-441-3712. The book study will begin in late February. If you are interested in participating, please send an email to cwaltersdorff@brethren.org.

NYC 2026: The Church of the Brethren National Youth Conference 2026 will take place July 18-23, 2026, at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. The theme for NYC 2026 is “Light Within Us,” based on Matthew 5:14-16. Youth who have finished 9th grade through their first year of college (or age equivalent) are invited to attend with adult advisors. This will be a week full of fellowship, worship, service projects, recreation, and so much more! Registration opened Jan. 5; visit www.brethren.org/nyc for more information. The cost of NYC is $625 for early bird registration, $650 for regular registration, and $675 for late registration. For any questions, reach out to Rachel Johnson (rjohnson@brethren.org). Harold Rose (Canton) attended the NYC preview event in Colorado this past fall if you have questions about the site (read more at NYC 2026 Advisor Preview: A time for connection, growth, and planning – News), and Christy Waltersdorff (York Center) coordinated NYC at Estes Park back in the 1980’s! 

In addition, NYC youth participants are invited to create and send in various worship elements built around the NYC theme. The plan is to use these worship elements as part of the worship services during NYC, which gives youth the opportunity to help shape what worship looks like. Find the submission form at https://forms.gle/UP9Y5et17G1FANdz5. Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@brethren.org with questions. 

*Currently, five congregations (Canton, Highland Avenue, Naperville, Neighborhood, and Springfield First) have reported that they expect to have youth and advisors attending this year’s NYC. If you have members planning to attend and have not yet informed the district office, please do so as soon as possible. We will not have enough participants to do a bus, so congregations are working on more local transportation options, likely flying to Colorado.

Registration is open for Church of the Brethren FaithX service trips and we would appreciate your help in spreading the word!

This coming summer, FaithX participants will have the opportunity to serve in a variety of ministry and non-profit settings, live and worship in community, visit new places, explore their values and beliefs, and have too much fun! A list of the 2026 service trip locations is below, but you can find trip descriptions and pricing information at www.brethren.org/faithx under the “2026 Trips” tab.

 

Please note that fewer youth trips are being offered in summer 2026 to encourage senior high youth to attend National Youth Conference. However, all FaithX youth trips are open to middle school and high school students, so senior high participants are welcome to join FaithX this summer in addition to NYC!

 

Junior & Senior High [6th grade to age 19]

June 9-14 – University Park, MD

June 14-19 – Winston-Salem, NC

June 21-26 – Rodney, MI (Camp Brethren Heights)

July 5-10 – Hershey, PA

We Are Able [ages 18+ with intellectual disabilities]

July 13-16 – Sturgis, MI

Adult [ages 18+]

June 14-22 – Northern Ireland

If anyone would like copies of the 2026 FaithX brochure, please contact the FaithX office.

For questions about FaithX, contact us at: 847-429-4337 or faithx@brethren.org.

 

Thank you for your continued support of the Church of the Brethren service ministries and we look forward to seeing youth and adults from your district on a FaithX trip in 2026!

 

Best,

 

Marissa Witkovsky-Eldred (she/her/hers)

Interim Co-Director of Brethren Volunteer Service | Coordinator of Short Term Service

mwitkovsky-eldred@brethren.org

(847) 429-4337

 

Church of the Brethren

1451 Dundee Avenue

Elgin, IL 60120

 

Brethren Disaster Ministries is continuing work at a rebuilding site in Letcher County, Ky., with new builds and repairs of homes damaged during the July 2022 flooding event. Seth Long, Executive Director, was featured on a Nov. 4 podcast talking about the work on HOMES Inc. in the community. You can listen here: https://www.christianapp.org/news/podcast. We are grateful for volunteers from our district who have assisted at this project. In 2026, our district’s volunteer week will shift to the summer, late August/early September. A group of nearly 100 disaster response volunteers also served in Johnson County, Tenn., from Sept. 21 to Nov. 15 to aid in the recovery from Hurricane Helene.

Brethren Disaster Ministries received a $5,000 UPS Long Term Recovery Grant through a partnership with the UPS Foundation and National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. These funds supported a portion of the volunteer project operational expenses for the Letcher County rebuilding site. This included finances for meals, tools, fuel, and vehicle repairs to enable volunteers to complete the work. During the term of the grant in September 2025, 55 volunteers provided more than 3,100 hours to support safe and secure housing for 10 households. New construction was completed on nine new homes in a Higher Ground Neighborhood in bordering Knott County in partnership with local partner HOMES Inc. Work completed by volunteers ranged from building foundations to framing walls and roofs to painting and finishing work inside the houses. In addition, one home that was elevated to prevent future flooding received a front and back deck for entrance into the home.

Children’s Disaster Services (CDS), a program of Brethren Disaster Ministries, deployed to western Washington State following catastrophic atmospheric river flooding that began on Dec. 8. For those interested in volunteering with CDS, several trainings are available in late winter/spring 2026: Feb. 20-21 in Beaufort, S.C. or Bradford, Ohio; Feb. 27-28 in Glendale, Ariz.; or March 14-15 in La Verne, Calif. Registration, including all meals, curriculum, and overnight is $55 for early bird, and $65 if sent less than three weeks before the event. Participants in the 25-hour training, which includes a simulated shelter experience, learn to provide comfort and encouragement to children by offering the healing young children need in traumatic situations. Learn more and register at https://www.brethren.org/cds/training/.

With the closure of the Material Resources program in New Windsor, Md. (where the Brethren Service Center offices will remain), the Church World Service Kit Depot location at the Elgin office is also closing and will no longer be a location that receives kits. Learn more at cwskits.org/cws-kits-end-of-the-year-updates. It appears the nearest drop-off location to our district now is the CWS Service Annex in Elkhart, Indiana. There is also a location in Boone, Iowa, near Ames. Kits can also be shipped to one of the remaining depots.

Young Adult Conference 2026

Registration is OPEN!

May 22 - 24, 2026
Camp Blue Diamond (near Petersburg, Pennsylvania)

Are you between the ages of 18 and 35? Come join us for YAC!

www.brethren.org/yya/yac

May 22-25 - Memorial Day Weekend June 12-14 - Counselor Training (CIT) June 13-14 - Elementary Camp June 14-17 - Target Sports Camp July 5-11 - Senior High Camp July 12-18 - Survivor Camp July 19-23 - Intermediate Camp July 24-26 - YAAYAH Camp July 26- Aug. 1 - Middle School Camp August 6-8 - Women's Camp September 4-7 - Labor Day Weekend

May 29-31 - Women's Camp  June 5-7 - Pre-junior Camp  June 7-13 - Middle School Camp  June 16-20 - Junior Camp  June 25-28 - High School Camp July 10-12 - Mommy and Me Camp July 13-17 - Day Camp August 7-9 - Men's Camp September 4-7 - Family Camp

The 2026 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference will take place June 28-July 2 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at the downtown Grand Wayne Convention Center. The schedule is altered this year, running from Sunday to Thursday. Equipping sessions will be added Sunday afternoon, and Tuesday morning will feature a time of “sparking, serving, and stirring,” as Conference officers anticipate a lighter business agenda. The theme is “Imagine!” Don Fitzkee will serve as moderator. Don recently provided a theme statement at 2026-Annual-Conference-Theme-Statement-updated.pdf. Don will be joining our district for the spring clergy gathering in April.

The Annual Conference office recently announced that advance registration for delegates will be $350 and for non-delegates $175. Onsite registration is $425 and $210, respectively. Daily fees are also available for those not attending the full week. A virtual registration option will be available for $220.

The three official conference hotel options will range in cost from $128 to $135 per night plus tax, with a discounted daily parking fee of $8. Annual Conference registration and housing will open to the public on March 4.

Watch for more details at www.brethren.org/ac.

 

• Official IL/WI Channel
• Older Content

There is a Speakers List for the Illinois/Wisconsin District. Persons included in this document have accepted the invitation to be available to preach during worship services or for other special events as indicated. Hopefully you will find this tool useful and valuable when the need arises for inviting a guest speaker.

The speakers on this list are all credentialed ministers, either licensed or ordained. We would like to expand the list to include more credentialed ministers as well as interested laity. If your name is absent from the list and you have interest in serving as a guest speaker, please inform the district office. We would also welcome the names of persons you might suggest for inclusion on the list.

Since this is a new venture, it is likely we may need to provide more information than is included. Your input as to how the list can be improved would be welcomed.

Please share with the District Office any questions, comments, or concerns you may have.

Grants available through the district include the following:

1. Mission and Mortar: Sustaining and developing ministry (mission) within congregations, as well as maintaining property (mortar), is sometimes hindered because of inadequate financial resources. The Illinois/Wisconsin District, whose mission is to support the growth and development of member congregations, desires to financially support congregations that are in good standing with the district and have specific needs. More information can be found here.

2. Being Jesus in the Neighborhood: Congregations can apply for $100 in seed money to start a new outreach project or initiative in their local communities, or to expand an existing one. These should be projects that intentionally engage with the neighborhood immediately around the congregation or, for those in rural locations, with the town or area around the church. Each congregation receiving a grant will be asked to share a little about their project at district conference. More information can be found here.

3. Emerging Missions Fund: To facilitate the growth and establishment of new faith communities, this grant is available for church and ministry planting initiatives. New church and ministry plants are encouraged to apply by contacting the district office and/or the CRDT.

Supporting Your District

The Illinois/Wisconsin District is active in a variety of ministry and mission efforts, both directly and indirectly. Continuing these efforts requires resources in the form of time, tools, knowledge, and especially finances. Consider making a contribution to the district’s general fund or one of its special funds (disaster relief, youth, emerging ministries, etc.). Look for the donate button at iwdcob.org, or send your checks to the district office: 1S071 Luther Ave., Lombard, IL 60148.

All ordained ministers, licensed ministers, and congregations need to keep the District Office informed of changes in contact information. Changes include: phone number, cell phone number, email address, mailing address, and congregational email or website. Please email Peggy Moylan, peg.district@gmail.com, or call 630-644-4259 with your updates. Your effort will save valuable staff time trying to track down these changes. Other information to share: changes in key leadership positions at the church or the death or serious illnesses of minister, retired ministers, or spouses. Help us serve better!

The Gifts Discernment and Call Committee seeks your help. We are commissioned to call active, informed, and committed members of congregations or fellowships from within our District to positions of service. These persons, both pastors and lay members, are to be called from all parts of the District and to represent the diversity among us. Our committee's knowledge of members eligible and capable to serve is limited. Therefore, we make this appeal for assistance.